Leadership and Yoga by @shawnakru is the go-to hub of interviews and episodes for yoga teachers and creatives. Shawna explores creativity, confidence, and presence through conversations with top teachers, artists, creators, and thought leaders. She also creates captivating musical and poetic solo episodes.
Over the past 3 years, Shawna has lovingly grown an intimate, niche following of fellow yoga instructors into a major nucleus for self-discovery. She enjoys interviewing even “non-yogis” from a yogic perspective. Support Shawna on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/shawnakru
Site
RSS
Apple
Recent rankings
Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.
Shared links between episodes and podcasts
Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.
Sri Dharma Mittra Interview Storytime BTS of NYC Podcasting Trip
Season 2 · Episode 172
Friday, August 22, 2025 • Duration 49:51
In this solo storytime episode, I share the behind-the-scenes journey of traveling to New York City to interview Sri Dharma Mittra. The full interview goes live on September 10th — but before then, I wanted to sit down with you fireside-style and tell the whole story while it’s still fresh: the risks, the doubts, the synchronicities, the headstand photo, the salsa dancing, and the tears of joy that come with pursuing a creative dream.
This episode is for anyone building something of their own — a podcast, a yoga practice, a project that feels bigger than you. It’s about showing up, trusting the process, and remembering to enjoy the ride.
00:00 Why this episode is unedited & storytime vibes
05:29 Starting the podcast in 2022 & committing to weekly episodes
10:51 Taking the leap: investing in a NYC trip to interview Dharma
17:02 Pre-interview challenges, self-care, and processing emotions
23:13 The Interview Experience with Sri Dharma Mittra
33:32 The conversation with Dharma: presence, awe, and intention
37:28 Post-interview reflections and joy
40:57 The Importance of solitude and reflection
47:04 Bringing Awe and wonder back to reality
Marcus Veda on 4BEAT Yoga & the Art of Teaching Yoga
Season 2 · Episode 171
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 • Duration 01:05:29
Yoga teachers! This one's for you. In this episode of the Leadership and Yoga podcast, Shawna Krueger interviews Marcus Veda, the creator of 4BEAT yoga. They discuss the unique concept of synchronizing breath and movement to a steady beat, the origins of 4BEAT yoga, and the importance of music in enhancing the yoga experience. This episode is for yoga teachers — a deep dive into the art of teaching an incredible yoga class.
IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE WITH MARCUS, PLEASE SUBSCRIBE & DROP ME A RATING. Thanks!!
Not everything is yoga, but yoga is in everything. This episode is exactly as the title says, a little bit of nonsense that I found meaningful enough to share. Listen if you want the tea on why I am in Italy and something that made me smile recently. Thanks for being here. :)
Join me, Shawna Krueger, for an episode on three ways to capture attention authentically as a yoga instructor. While the subject of attention and influence tend to be taboo in the yoga world, I discuss why we should think more about the important role they play. We discuss talent, boundaries and connection.
Plus, I share how I accidentally charged $50,000 Bad Bunny tickets to my credit card and some other essential story time moments to add a little laughter to your day.
Join the Leadership and Yoga Fam email list to stay up to date on giveaways and L&S news. Plus, get immediate access to the free week-long 6am Club training:
Join me, Shawna Krueger, for an episode on how to be more confident, today. It’s time to switch into your very own “confident mode.” This is for the person who wants to be bold, to take action, to find their voice, stand up tall, not fear the anxiety butterflies when they enter a room. To harness their power, step into their power, whatever you want to call it.
Whether you are a yoga teacher, speaker, aspiring leader, or someone facing social anxiety, I share 12 ways you can show up confidently so you can find focus, boldness and awareness under pressure.
Time stamps:
00:00 Introduction
04:00 First viral video to hit 1 million views
08:30 Agenda
12:15 Take care of yourself behind the scenes
15:20 Quitting self-destructive behaviors
17:30 Dealing with self-pity and guilt
20:00 Prepare yourself to be in a different state.
24:15 Make a mistake or admit you don’t know as soon as possible.
25:55 Posture and power stances.
28:50 Spend time around confident people who speak well, make decisions with ease, who things just seem effortless for.
34:15 Confident does not necessarily mean extroverted or loud.
35:30 Age does not matter, you are not too young or too old.
38:20 Make a decision.
41:00 Speak with action oriented words and at a steady cadence.
39:57 Get comfortable with silence.
46:00 Pay attention to your belly.
48:20 Solar plexus governs confidence and the ability to be assertive.
Rocket Yoga Reflections
Episode 70
Friday, March 15, 2024 • Duration 41:17
Join me, Shawna Krueger, and hear the voices of dozens of other teachers in today’s special episode on Rocket® yoga.
Tune in to hear a discussion of Rocket yoga training level 1 and 2, what I perceive to be the art of Rocket and how I found the practice by accident. Plus, we discuss how capable we are of doing the hard things, and how difficulty can turn into ease.
A bonus of today’s episode is a series of segment interviews where teachers share what Rocket means to them. Big thanks to everyone who let me corner them with my mini mic and put them on the spot. It warms my heart to have collected so many responses.
For me, Rocket yoga is watching the impossible become possible.
Disclaimer: This is not about theory or history of Rocket, but rather my own reflections in hopes that it will inspire you to reflect as well. Rocket® as it relates to yoga instruction is a registered trademark. Photo credit for the cover art and group shot to Hector Quiroz.
Join the Leadership and Yoga Fam email list to stay up to date on giveaways and L&S news. Plus, get immediate access to the free week-long 6am Club training:
Natasha Schön on Leadership Skills For Everyday Life
Episode 69
Friday, March 8, 2024 • Duration 59:07
Join me, Shawna Krueger, and my guest, Natasha Schön for an episode on leadership.
Natasha is a leadership and development consultant. She is the leadership consultant for our upcoming retreat in Río Chirripó and she is a certified practitioner in both coaching and Nonviolent Communication techniques.
Natasha is also a polyglot, fluent in English, Dutch, German, and Spanish and has lived in 12 countries which has brought her an extremely rich and dynamic understanding of connection.
On a personal note, Natasha is one of the few people that came into my life that I was immediately like aha! This is a friendship I was looking for. She is a very gifted speaker and storyteller, a unique soul, an avid reader, and has an impressive vocabulary.
Tune in to hear a relaxing and refreshing take on how we can integrate essential leadership principles in your everyday life, and in yoga.
Join the Leadership and Yoga Fam email list to stay up to date on giveaways and L&S news. Plus, get immediate access to the free week-long 6am Club training:
Pura Rasa - Meditation, Inner Voice and Awakening with Rasa Lukosiute
Episode 68
Friday, March 1, 2024 • Duration 45:11
Join me, Shawna Krueger, and today’s special guest, Rasa Lukosiute for an episode on meditation and tapping into your intuitive nature.
Rasa is the voice of Pura Rasa, and the writer and editor of extremely moving and popular guided meditations on YouTube channel which has a community of over 371k.
I am a member of that community and have been meditating with Rasa for years!
Rasa is also a qualified life coach and a yoga teacher. She was born and raised in the west of Lithuania which shares a unique dialect and beautiful landscapes, Rasa believes Lithuania nurtured and prepared her to create and to offer the content found on Pura Rasa.
Today we discuss all things meditation, how to meditate, Rasa’s creative process, spiritual awakening and nature. This episode will leave you feeling connected and remembering the magic that is all around us.
Please drop me a RATING and SUBSCRIBE, it is extremely helpful, thank you!!
Join the Leadership and Yoga Fam email list to stay up to date on giveaways and L&S news. Plus, get immediate access to the free week-long 6am Club training:
Purpose is a State of Being: Relax and Get Present
Episode 67
Friday, February 23, 2024 • Duration 47:54
Join me, Shawna Krueger, for an episode on why purpose is a state of being, not a thing or an activity.
This episode on finding purpose is supposed to feel reassuring and put you in a good mood. It makes me sad to see people really stressed about their purpose when it’s already been there all along. Purpose can only truly be found in deep presence. Today we discuss how to simplify to see clearly, how to take the weight off your shoulders and change your state, how to have more time to think about your purpose… or feel like you have more time… and how service can give you momentum.
If you are feeling down and out about your purpose and place in life, I’m here to show you what you already have within you. Just relax, get present, and be prepared to look with new eyes and a fresh attitude.
Join the Leadership and Yoga Fam email list to stay up to date on giveaways and L&S news. Plus, get immediate access to the free week-long 6am Club training:
Join me, Shawna Krueger and my guest, Manuel Oria, for an episode on the art of teaching yoga. Manuel is my OG Ashtanga teacher, an international yoga teacher trainer, and a musician.
Tune in to hear practical tips on creativity and comfort while teaching, setting class rhythm, comedy, taking risks and delivering an experience that is truly authentic. Plus, some good laughs as Manuel shares some stories you can’t miss.
Please SUBSCRIBE and drop me a RATING to support this show if you have enjoyed today’s interview with Manu. Thank you!!
Join the Leadership and Yoga Fam email list to stay up to date on giveaways and L&S news. Plus, get immediate access to the free week-long 6am Club training:
54:40 The Influence of Teachers and Life Experiences
58:20 Qualities of Exceptional Leaders
01:00:49 The Billboard Question: A Message for the World
23:50 The example of the Daily Victorian
27:00 What to do when our best is not good enough
28:20 Set boundaries so you don’t fear attention
29:55 Entrepreneurship infancy baby talk
32:00 Showing the vulnerability of needing something
34:00 A note on choice from Pura Rasa
36:00 Let people see your work IRL
37:00 Why you don’t have to spend time on going viral
39:00 The power of authentic connection
41:00 Your presence is ENOUGH
51:40 Get experience and record compliments.
54:30 Do something that scares you every day.
58:00 What humans CAN do is extraordinary, what you WILL do is another story.
Join the Leadership and Yoga Fam email list to stay up to date on giveaways and L&S news. Plus, get immediate access to the free week-long 6am Club training:
01:00 How Natasha and Shawna met: From class to close friends.
04:30 Agenda
05:15 Living in Madeira.
9:30 How to find stability. My routines are my home.
12:45 How to manage when life feels like chaos.
17:25 How to take action on goals and follow through.
19:00 Setting a vision when you don’t know what you want.
23:00 What does leadership mean?
27:00 The value of mentorship and someone who believes in you.
28:30 How can we be an empathetic leader?
29:30 Psychological safety.
33:00 Why is leadership work important?
36:00 Non-violent Communication NVC
41:30 What is coaching?
44:00 The power of silence, the spaces that are not filled.
46:00 Learning to ask good questions is like learning another language.
47:30 Stay away from the word “why” in coaching.
51:30 Handstand breaks.
54:45 Billboard message: “Sometimes I feel like I lead an emotionally complex life, and then the sun comes out and I’m happy. So functionally I’m no different than a big leaf.”
“Learning to ask good questions is like learning another language.”
6:10 My voice was never lost, even if I was powerless
8:45 Tips for sharing work that comes from the soul.
9:30 All work is one, all work is from the heart, there is no separation.
11:45 We are never disconnected.
13:40 Rasa’s creative process.
16:00 What makes an idea important?
18:00 How to grow your connection with your intuition.
23:30 Nature is the loudest voice. Trees as antennas.
25:00 Accepting your voice.
26:20 Striking things that have happened as a result of Rasa’s meditations: connection to people who have passed, manifestations, healing…
29:50 How to start and stick with a meditation habit.
34:00 What is meditation?
37:10 Things to keep in mind while meditating.
39:30 What makes a fantastic leader? Empathy and care. Be the example.
42:15 Billboard message: Remember that your word is the most important thing that you have.
Time stamps:
00:00 Introduction
03:44 Shawna’s four laws of purpose.
5:10 Hello other entrepreneurs and wanna be entrepreneurs
8:00 What is lounging? Storytime.
11:40 Agenda
15:30 Your purpose is already there. Richard Rudd quote from the Gene Keys.
18:47 What being present does to your feeling of purpose.
21:26 How to truly practice being present?
24:00 Simplify to see clearly. Clarity.
27:30 Set something down and change your state.
30:55 Time is a feeling. Change how you feel to get more time.
35:30 How do I start connecting to my purpose?
38:17 If you make others feel connected, needed and significant, that will be returned to you.
41:30 Visiting prior versions of myself.
44:11 Rio Chirripo retreat
45:00 My new guided journal
01:21 Quitting my job to train with Manuel and becoming a full-time yoga teacher.
04:15 Agenda.
04:46 Teaching yoga as an art form and service.
9:50 Starting teaching yoga and reading students.
11:50 Who to take feedback from?
14:00 How to get comfortable in front of the room, natural talent versus gaining confidence over time.
17:00 Detaching from what a yoga teacher “should” be.
24:00 Reinventing yourself on the spot to teach ANY group.
27:30 Taking risks while teaching and comedy in class.
35:00 What’s a yoga voice?
38:00 Rhythm in class.
44:00 Ashtanga yoga.
47:00 Experience, theory and mistakes.
49:00 How to know when you are ready to teach.
52:30 Simplify it, and really put some groove in it.
53:50 What makes an excellent yoga teacher.
55:00 Billboard message: Let your practice speak for itself. Don’t say, do.
Apple Podcasts
🇬🇧 Great Britain - selfImprovement
10/08/2026
#96
🇬🇧 Great Britain - selfImprovement
09/08/2026
#88
🇬🇧 Great Britain - selfImprovement
08/08/2026
#89
🇬🇧 Great Britain - selfImprovement
07/08/2026
#83
🇬🇧 Great Britain - selfImprovement
23/06/2026
#68
🇬🇧 Great Britain - selfImprovement
16/06/2026
#83
🇨🇦 Canada - selfImprovement
01/06/2026
#99
🇨🇦 Canada - selfImprovement
31/05/2026
#91
🇨🇦 Canada - selfImprovement
19/05/2026
#80
🇬🇧 Great Britain - selfImprovement
29/04/2026
#100
Spotify
No recent rankings available
Related Shows Based on Content Similarities
Discover shows related to Leadership and Yoga, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
